DELOITTE TMT PREDICTION FOR 2012

Market research is all in your head: MRI machines and media

The advertising industry’s use of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging - fMRI - machines grows in influence. Similar to larger, more expensive MRI machines used in the medical sector, fMRI analysis can show that activity in certain regions of the brain correlates with specific emotions and types of thinking. The controversial technique, known as neuromarketing, has already started to gain traction with food companies altering their packaging and even the flavour of their products as a result of this technique. It appears likely that fMRI will become a key tool for advertisers in 2012 but it is likely to work best as part of a package alongside more traditional marketing techniques.